Dragon's Shell Doll Minis

Marina emailed me. It looks like my heads will be ready soon. At least I hope it's both heads. Her message said "an MSD head" but I'm hoping that's just a translation glitch and both Dog and Ghost will be joining me soon. Of course, it could take longer than usual to get from Russia to the US. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

I got an email as well. Hoping the journey isn't too much longer than normal!

 

Congrats @redmaiko ! Marina emailed back to say it's both heads. Much as I'm anxious to get them, I won't be terribly upset if it takes a while. I know I'll want to paint them as soon as they arrive, but I can't if this hot humid weather keeps up.

 

Thanks! I look forward to seeing how you paint Dog, so I hope you get a little less busy soon.

 

Shipping notice! Dog and Ghost heads are on their way. I hope we lose this heat wave before they get here, because I'm going to want to start painting them right away.

 

I am glad that my pitbull head is showing up in tracking. He is still in Russia, but at least there is something with the uncertainty of shipping right now.

 

Same here. Packages in Russia seem to do a lot of moving from one local distribution center to another. At last glance (just now) mine had been released by Customs. Dare we hope that an international flight is the next step?

 

I hope so!!!! I am hoping he will work on the Dollshe 28M I have here. It might be okay according to measurements, but we all know how that goes. I also have my 24M on the way (come on Dollshe!), but it is pure pale tan. At least I could figure out what works best though.

Do you know what body yours will go on, @vermont chick ?

 

I'm still debating which bodies my two heads will borrow. It depends on resin color and neck size, but the bodies under consideration are Iple FID (1 muscle, 1 model), Iple JID (not really considering, just curious), Lumedoll, Model Delf, Raccoon, and WithDoll (though I suspect the neck is too thin). If my Dollshe Fashion Mystic Pose's elastic has loosened up enough for me to work with him, I'll try it. Idealian51 is probably out of the running because of the way the head attaches: there is a piece of resin that looks like a brain; it fits inside the head with the elastic over and around it. I suspect it's why you don't see more ID51 hybrids.

My tracking hasn't changed since I looked yesterday. The latest entry was posted Friday.

 

It took 11 days but at last there is a change in tracking. It now says "Prepared for shipment from Russia." Dare I hope the next message will show it off the ground?

 

Mine shows as in New York!! Yay! So looking forward to his arrival.

 

Congrats @redmaiko! You should be getting him soon.

 

@vermont chick I hope yours leaves Russia soon! I am waiting on way too many dolls. I am kind of hoping the arrival of this head means some other things will start moving. I also have some new ideas for the head that I am excited to find out if they will work.

 

@redmaiko - There's nothing happening on mine. I keep hoping that my heads will suddenly arrive in NY without any further message from Russia. I'm waiting on a French doll, too, who has cleared what needs to be cleared in France but doesn't show any updates. (I think their system is down. All I get today is a whirling yellow circle.) After months of no doll arrivals, I've had two this week, so things are definitely on the move. I know it sounds greedy, but I just wish they would move faster! (We need an emoji that says "I'm getting impatient".)

I can't wait to see what ideas you have in mind for the head.

 

OMG, the head arrived this afternoon! I'm not complaining, but it went from Jamaica, NY to here in a flash. It is wonderful! I will get pics tomorrow.

 

@redmaiko - Hooray! Can't wait to see him. My two heads have finally arrived in NY. If it weren't the weekend I would probably get them tomorrow. Guess I'll have to wait one more day.

 

@vermont chick Thank you! I hope yours is in your hands Monday!
@skyealloway Thank you! Your Dog looks wonderful!!! He looks so innocent! Love the faceup!

Got Pitbull pics! He looks good on the Dollshe Fashion 28M, but I am wondering if the proportions would be better on the 24M I have on the way? Although that body is pure pale tan. It will help me figure it out though. Tempted to look into an FID body. We'll see! With his facial structure he needs a body with some muscle tone imho.

DS Doll Pitbull MSD on Dollshe Fashion 28M by Tineke, on Flickr

Also, she casts the heads alone herself right? There is a slight dent in one of his eyelids, but I think I can file/sand it away/disguise it.

 

Dog looks wistful. I like the look @skyealloway.

@redmaiko - Pitbull looks good even without a faceup. I didn't notice the dent even on the close-up on flickr. I'll bet a faceup will disguise it. It doesn't hurt to try.

I'll be trying my heads on my FID bodies, so you can see what they look like before you order. I'm counting on a Monday arrival.

 

I was able to sand some of the dent to minimize it a bit. I washed it and I so want to start the faceup! Have to wait about 24 hours to dry before sealing though in this humidity. Don't want the face to bubble!

I look forward to seeing your boys!

 

You're braver than I am, @redmaiko - I'd be afraid to attempt a faceup in this heat and humidity. Someone (a tv reporter?) said this is our hottest summer on record. My boys--when they get here--won't be painted anytime soon. I'll just enjoy their unpainted sculpts for a while.

 

@redmaiko ooh he looks so great! Still waiting on mine, but then I ordered him with a body so I'm not surprised, lol. Can't wait to see him with a face-up! I'm looking to commission the same person that painted my Ferret to do my Pitbull so they'll match in style and they're actually located in Russia so I'm thinking I might ask if she'd be willing to ship the head and body separate. Would save a lot of time if she'd be willing to ship his head straight to the face-up artist within her own country. Doesn't hurt to ask I suppose haha

 

My heads will be delivered today!

If I were you @Hakari-chan I would ask. The worst she can say is no. Right? It's not like you're asking her to ship to two different countries.

Dog and Ghost are here! It's way too humid for faceups, so they'll be blank for a while. I ordered the elf ears for both, not realizing that I would get two pairs for each. Now I'm looking at the ears trying to decide if there is any difference between them. Is one pair slightly longer than the other? Or is it simply an extra pair in case I break or lose one? I also got one extra headback. I had to study it for a while trying to figure out what it was. When people said these heads have faceplates, I pictured a simple thin faceplate that fits like a mask. This is a substantial front and top of head that sits on a much smaller what-the-heck-is-that? piece. I've never seen one like this.

At the moment I have Dog on a Lumedoll boy body and Ghost on a Model Delf boy body. Neither body is a perfect color match but both are close enough that I'm going to use them. Pictures tomorrow if it ever stops raining.

 

@Hakari-chan I agree, definitely ask!

@vermont chick Yay!! I've never had a doll with a faceplate system like this either (although my aGatti heads will be similar when they arrive), but it definitely opens up possibilities. Ferret is the only one I believe with a more standard headcap? He is the only other DS Doll I have. I hope it stops raining for you soon!

I am planning on painting stubble all over Pitbull's head! Worst case scenario I cover it with a wig. The opening further back means the seam will be seen less, so I am going to try it.

 

A stubble-covered head sounds like it would work, @redmaiko. I've never been brave enough to paint anything directly onto a doll's head, but as you say, it's easily covered with a wig if you don't like how it comes out.

@skyealloway - I'm still convinced my pairs of elf ears are slightly different. (Maybe I want them to be?) The color seems slightly paler on one set of each, and the ear tips seem to have a bit more upturn on the other. Probably my imagination...

Here they are, without faceups because I don't have air-conditioning. In this climate we normally don't need A-C, except that this year we've had non-stop heat and humidity since before the first day of summer. I'm sticking to everything I touch. Ugh!

Dog, on the left, is occupying my Lumedoll boy body. Ghost, on the right, is on one of my Model Delf boy bodies. Both are slightly shorter than my FID, Creature Doll and Raccoon women. I'll want to photograph my incoming FID Yur with FID model and muscle guys, so I'll wait to try the DS heads on the FID male bodies. One thing I can tell just from looking at the heads on Lumedoll and Model Delf is that they'll probably look better on the taller FID bodies. Both DS heads are slightly larger than the heads they've replaced. They don't exactly look like dwarves, but they're not exactly imposing either.

 

@skyealloway - Thanks. I'm tempted to leave Dog on the Lumedoll body. The sculpt I originally bought for the Lumedoll was a female head. While it works as a boy the face is somewhat flat; I like Dog's bolder sculpt better. I really wanted Ghost on a taller body, though, because he's supposed to be the fraternal twin of Creature Doll Karin. Even in flats she's taller than he is. I love how they both have the same pissed-off expression. Raccoon men are quite a bit taller: 51.5cm. Ghost's head is certainly large enough to make that body work. I'll just have to find a different S-hook because the one I've got in the Raccoon body now doesn't fit inside Ghost's head. It's not the one that came with the doll; the original seemed a little flimsy for such a big beefy guy. Here's a closer look at Ghost. He has a tiny pinprick hole on one side of his nose. It appears as a black speck on the left in the photo. I'm hoping that when I do the faceup the pastel powder will fill it in and it will disappear.

 

@vermont chick OMGosh! Congrats! They both look wonderful! I especially love Ghost on the Model Delf body. I also had a small pinprick hole on mine. It is underneath the nose close to the nostril. Thankfully it is underneath. Hope yours fills in with the faceup! You could also mix up a tiny batch of paint in a similar color and fill it that way.

 

Thanks! I love the Model Delf body--the original body, not the skinny replacement Luts came out with last year. In my opinion, the rounded elbow and knee joints are smoother and more realistic than those of any other male body available. Luts justified the change by claiming the original body was ahead of its time--it was--and that few people appreciated it. I guess I'm one of the few.

I wonder if the pinprick holes happen when the head is removed from the mold? Maybe from the popping of a teensy air bubble? Paint sounds like a good way to fill the hole, but I worry it will show through my faceup. I think I'll just fill the hole with pastel powder. We should compare faceups when they're complete to see which method worked the best.

 

I plan to have CD Karin's head beside me when I paint Ghost so I can emphasize the resemblance. I'm only waiting for the weather to cooperate.

If the hole doesn't blend away, maybe I'll emphasize it as if it were a beauty spot.

 

Pitbull's faceup is about 95% done! I am still waffling on the painted buzzcut. I'll give it a few days and wig trials.
Beefcake in Progress by Tineke, on Flickr

 

He's looking so good, @redmaiko. Hope you'll take photos and show us how he looks in wigs. I'm having trouble picturing him in a buzzcut, to tell you the truth.

 

@redmaiko ooh he looks GREAT!
I just got an email saying that my Pitbull on the Nidum Dolls body is all done! They're just waiting for some certificates to ship with them so I went ahead and asked if she'd be willing to ship the head separately. We'll see what she says!

 

Thank you both, @vermont chick and @Hakari-chan ! I haven't had a chance to try wigs on him, but I hope to this weekend. Getting my daughter ready for remote learning school is taking a lot of time.

 

@skyealloway Depends on the kind of look you're going for! Smaller irises are good for characters you want to look more serious or older. Have you tried having him look off to one side instead of dead ahead? I find that tends to look a lot better on pretty much any eye. Maybe up and to one side, even. Play around with it and see

 

@skyealloway I agree with the above! I would try that first. Take some time to play with the position. I takes me twice as long to get the tiny eyes into a nice position compared to larger. I am picky, but it seems like if an eye is off by a millimeter for me it looks like they have a lazy eye.
What kind of eyes are you using? My Pitbull currently has the 8/3mm iris size (popovy) from Candy World. Love them! Totally different sculpt though so I couldn't tell you for sure if they would work.

 

@skyealloway - If you want him to look surprised or startled, the eyes work. I'd try a slightly larger iris. Of course this is easy to say and hard to do. I can never choose the right size when I'm eye shopping, so I take a chance and see if what I bought will work. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. But I agree with @Hakari-chan that a side glance helps and with @redmaiko that positioning tiny eyes takes much longer than bigger ones.

I love the faceup you gave him. Looking at it I can tell at once that the eyebrows I gave my Dog (and Ghost, come to think of it) are too thin. I haven't taken photos yet. Need to do that today.

 

@skyealloway - You're lucky to have a man in the house for reference. No such luck here.

I never know if I like my faceups until I take photos and see them enlarged on the screen. I took some today--Yikes! Not fit for human consumption. In the interest of making them look more manly, I overdid the coloring. They both need to be redone. It's too hot and sticky to attempt any fix today.

I finally tried the heads on an FID male model body. They fit the neck; aside from that they're too small. The hand looks like a shovel next to the face. There's no point trying them on the muscle body because they'll look even smaller sitting atop those broad shoulders.

 

Thanks. I'm still going to repaint him. Ghost doesn't look any better--and with the same coloring as Dog's, he looks nothing at all like Creature Doll Karin. So much for the twin idea.

I was really surprised that the heads didn't work on FID. If the hands weren't so big it would be less of a problem. The overall look of the head on the FID model body is passible. Still, Model Delf and Lumedoll bodies are in better proportion with these heads.

 

@vermont chick Wow! Yeah, not working on the FID body is unexpected! I will probably stick with my Dollshe body for mine. Love your Irish Elf!! I don't think the coloring is too overdone. The blank hand next to the face makes it look bolder, imho.

Hoping I can work on the head stubble on my guy the next few days! Love my guy so much I am tempted to get a Snake sometime. Love that stern evil look. Although I am also wondering if I should get a new Ferret Android in 5-6. *sigh* My 4-5 Ferret looks slightly off now next to Pitbull.

 

@redmaiko - Thanks. I agree that the blank hand makes the face color look bolder, but I can't blush the hands to match because FID Baron still needs the body. The funny thing is I wasn't thinking Irish when I painted him. I was just shading where the features would naturally be shadowed. I'm still going to repaint both of them--and try a different color palette-- although it may take a while before the weather hands me another perfect day .

 

omg oh no yeah that head definitely does NOT suit the FID body X'D Those hands are bigger than his face!
I am extra glad I decided to just go ahead and order my pitbull with the Nidum Dolls body now o_O At least I know for sure they look good together, even if it is a difficult body to find clothes for.
Speaking of which, he should be shipping soon! I talked to the maker and she was fine with shipping his body to me and his head to the artist I found in Russia to save me some time and shipping, so that's great! Apparently they knew each other, actually, so they were able to work out shipping between them without me being the go-between.

@vermont chick good luck with the face-up, they are always such a struggle! My suggestion would be to focus less on what would be 'shaded' and more on skin texture and tone? At first, at least, and then if you want to add shading as a more stylistic touch maybe save it for after you've done all your blushing and eyelashes and whatnot?

 

@Hakari-chan - Glad to hear that the maker will ship the body to you and the head to the faceup artist. That's great, and certainly more convenient for you. Hope you get the body soon.

The funny thing about faceups is that I usually have no trouble at all with female faces. It's the guys that drive me up the wall. I'll remove the faceups today and then have a good think about how I want to proceed. I'll probably go for the less-is-more approach so I don't end up with clown faces again.

 

Faceups, Round 2. I'm waiting for tiny eyelashes from LeekeWorld. I used light brown the first time and could barely see them. The new ones will be black. They're in Seoul waiting for a plane to take them to Cincinnati. (Cincinnati? I guess they'll have to bum a ride from there to Vermont.)

 

Thanks @skyealloway - I kept the eyebrows on the brow ridge to avoid the surprised look I had before. As soon as I get the eyelashes (still on the ground at Incheon) I can put the eyes in. That will tell me if Round 2 faceups are keepers or not. I know I have to lighten the tear ducts. They grabbed the watercolor and wouldn't let go. A little dab of acrylic paint ought to do it.

 

I bought two wigs for my Ferret.



and



both in dark brown from Blueberry style. Here's hoping one of them suits him, and that they arrive before January.

 

@davri - Ooh, nice! I like both of them. They kind of look like the same style, using two different textures of hair.

 

Yep, but I don't know what size was used in the pics, as they were sold in multiple sizes. Given the kind of tiny heads these guys have I'm hoping the 5-6" wigs will look good.

 

@davri I bought that first wig myself awhile back and was not a fan of the quality. Definitely looks better in the pics than in person, probably because it was custom made for that doll. Hopefully yours turns out better than mine @_@

 

That's disappointing about the wig quality, @Hakari-chan. I was getting ready to order a couple. Although 5-6 would be the right size, not all 5-6 heads are created equal. The shape of the head can throw off the fit even if the circumference is right. I think I'm going to chance it. I have other dolls with 5-6 heads; if they don't fit the DS guys hopefully they will fit one of the others.

 

I'm back. My eyelash order from LeekeWorld arrived and I was able to finish putting Dog and Ghost together. I'm still planning to get one or two Blueberry Style wigs. In the meantime I have a short curly wig from Monique on Ghost and a long saddle brown wig from Iplehouse on Dog. I had to straighten this one because it was basically one huge curl in back.

 

My BlueberryStyle wigs arrived. They do need a tiny bit of adustment. The sideburns need a bit trimmed off to fit around the ears right, might use my dog's thinning shears to shorten the one wig right over his face, and I might cut a tiny slit at the back and put some elastic at the nape to help adjust the fit.

But he's not bald anymore! Yaaaaaay!

Edit: I trimmed a teensy, tiny bit around his ears to set the sideburns right, and used a bit of pitatto? (Some little strip that came with a wig I bought that's like adhesive hook velcro) and it holds position and looks amazing.